At least 20 individuals have been charged with unlawful assembly after staging a protest in Banjul on Thursday, calling for the public disclosure of buyers of former President Yahya Jammeh’s confiscated assets.
The protest, which drew a small but vocal group of demonstrators, took place in the heart of the Gambian capital before police intervened. According to sources familiar with the incident, the protesters were swiftly rounded up and transported to the police Headquarters.
“They were demanding transparency regarding the sale of Jammeh’s assets,” one source said. “It was a peaceful demonstration, but the authorities deemed it unauthorised.”
Another source with knowledge of the matter said that the group did not have a permit for the gathering, which prompted law enforcement to treat it as an unlawful assembly. “The police maintained that there was no official clearance for the protest, and therefore it was considered a breach of public order,” the source added.
There was no immediate comment from the police, but rights advocates say the arrests raise questions about freedom of expression and assembly in the country. Several civil society actors have privately expressed concern over what they view as a heavy-handed response to a non-violent call for transparency.
The arrested individuals are expected to appear before a magistrate court in the coming days.
The issue of Jammeh’s assets remains a sensitive topic in The Gambia, with many citizens demanding accountability over how the former president’s vast holdings—seized by the state following his departure in 2017—have been managed and sold.
